Piece by Piece
by ghanathesaiyan4
Summary: 'Vegeta never smiles at him, but his fathomless eyes are deep in emotion when he politely says goodbye till next time.' In which Gohan watches a bond bloom between two strong people. -AU in relationship but not in storyline.


Piece by Piece

A/N: I wanted to make a simple story about Goku and Vegeta and how it looked through Gohan's point of view. In this AU Chi Chi left after Gohan was born and they realized that Goku wasn't human because she was in over her head.

He remembers fighting Vegeta, how scared he was and how scary Vegeta seemed. Even after everything crazy on Namek and after he remembers those feelings, clinging to them as if to hold onto his resolve of not liking Vegeta.

All of his resolve slips away when his dad, newly back from space, asks him gently if he would be okay with Vegeta coming over for dinner. He relents because his dad is strong and wise in judgement and cannot be wrong, so he allows Vegeta to come over and fights off a scowl. By the amused expression on his dad's face, he's not very successful.

It becomes easier to like Vegeta, who was practically thrown out of Capsule Corp and given an apartment by Bulma who was pissed about getting pregnant, as they visit him often. Vegeta has adult coloring books and plenty of colored pencils so he is entertained while the former prince and his dad spend countless hours at the table in the kitchen. Sometimes his dad's laughter booms and fills the entire apartment but other times they speak in hushed, emotion filled voices about things he can't hear or doesn't understand. Every time it's time to go he stands up from where he was in the soft carpet to hurry to his father's side, Vegeta never smiles at him, but his fathomless eyes are deep in emotion when he politely says goodbye till next time.

Many times, he would go to the door and open it to find Vegeta to call for his father. His dad always came breathlessly over, hair slightly less tangled, all fresh and clean. His dad would fuss a second over him, saying the same speech about to be careful and as always Vegeta would cut in and say that 'he had already fought in wars, the boy could handle a few hours alone without you babying him'. His dad would look a mix of worried and delighted but would leave without further expressed concern, though not before pressing a swift kiss to his hair. After the door closed, he would spend several minutes grinning in the entryway, getting a glimpse of what it would be if life had given his father a lover.

His hair is white blonde and his eyes a shining blue as he stands next to his father looking out on the world. There was a letter clutched tightly in his father's hands addressed to Vegeta along with the one-star dragon ball. He wondered what it was for before noticing the look in his father's eyes. He smiled up at his dad, thinking that Vegeta would cherish anything his dad offered.

His father is gone, and it hurts. It hurts more when he learns that his father got a woman pregnant, the baby was for a special purpose and Vegeta and he knows this. No one else does so they are all confused and concerned. The question of where he and his little brother will go is raised eventually. It isn't until Krillin asked him what he wanted, and he realizes who he wants. The name slips his lips without hesitation, much to the surprise of others. The one he wants is watching him with a careful expression, weighing options, preparing for a leap of faith that can only be linked to his father in all his glory. With an exhaled breath comes the soft, smooth reply, "Yes." And so, they begin again.

It has been seven years of learning and training and growing. Trunks and Goten grew into lively young boys, proud and strong. He is taller now than Vegeta but is put in his place repeatedly by the older saiyan. Vegeta has not grown soft, remaining stern and battle ready but when it is only the three boys around, something utterly perfect slips in Vegeta's dark eyes. Both of them are ecstatic in their own ways when they learn his father is coming back for a day. Vegeta touched the four-star dragon ball with reverence as it sat next to the one-star on the proud place of their mantle.

He watched in horror as Vegeta submitted to the wizard's control, so enraged and eager to be empowered. He knew Vegeta though, knew that all the anger, the reversal back to his old ways was to mask his true emotions. Vegeta wasn't mad but instead was lost and confused. Vegeta, who had been broken so thoroughly before, took a full three years to give his heart wholly to his dad, who would never hurt him, but had left for the greater good, hurt. So Vegeta was taking that hurt, masking it with anger and challenging his father. To watch them face off was even worse than the first time, and he would gladly fight entire armies with one hand for it to never happen again.

The first morning he woke up to his father's voice singing in the morning, like he used to seven years ago, was also the morning he spent an hour in bed weeping with joy. The next few weeks were full of happiness and smiles as his dad was reentered into being alive, taking to the position as a father again in stride. Goten and Trunks adored his father, while Vegeta and he were so happy sometimes to see straight. It was pure bliss until his dad brought up a long-awaited event-to-be. "So, V, you ready to be married?" Vegeta started before letting a curse slip out when the knife he was using to cut up apples for Goten jerked with his movement almost cutting his finger. Vegeta whirled to face Goku, while throwing the knife into the cutting board, eyes wide with longing and adoration, "Of course."

He watched seated on the couch as Vegeta looked for something suitable to wear. Being wedded was a ceremony of great importance in the saiyan culture. To publicly declare oneself bound eternally to another. Family for saiyans was a complicated thing, they did not feel intense love for the ones they were born to, and instead preferred to form life bonds with those they spent the most time with, on and off the battlefield. To find one individual above all else that you loved and wanted to be with the rest of your life with was even rarer. He couldn't wait for it all to be official.

When his father said that Vegeta was 'the true prince of my heart' he almost started crying. Videl was a pretty, slightly confused thing by his side who looked at him with those stunning purple eyes he adored. She quietly asked him what was wrong, he shook his head watching instead as they tied pure white cloth to the new cuts on their forearms. He couldn't believe the day had finally come.

Six months later his father was fixing Goten and Trunks' jackets, making them giggle sweetly, as the fully grown saiyan male fussed over them lovingly. Vegeta was straightening his tie, eyes gentle in a simple joy of the event scheduled for today, while Piccolo watched over all. He was getting married himself to Videl, the first girl he had wanted to love. And he would do it surrounded by his family and friends.

After he married her, his dad hugged him tightly, pride glowing in his eyes, cooing, "Oh, my son. How happy am I that you have found love." He buried his face in his father's neck close to the thick, wild hair, "I've had it all along, whenever I'm home." He whispered back, his father laughed softly, kissing his brow, while Vegeta looked on with a beautiful smile. Videl was spinning with Goten and Trunks in her arms, skirts swishing around them along with their laughter. He sighed contentedly; this is what life should be like. These moments when every piece came together perfectly. He needed few else in the world but his born family- his father and little brother- and his adopted family- his stepfather and stepbrother- and now his new wife. Finally, finally, their family was together and complete.


End file.
